For years, blended wing-body aircraft (BWB) were a keen topic for aviation aficionados at specialist seminars, but were practically non-existent in the real world. This is currently changing, as advanced projects in San Diego and Hamburg demonstrate.
Natilus – the company’s name is the game. Its management claims to reshape commercial aviation by developing a family of purpose-built BWB aircraft designed to improve both commercial cargo and passenger operations. Though it sounds like a PR slogan, it actually has substance. The company has secured dozens of tentative orders from cargo operators for its smaller Kona model. This can carry a payload of 3.8 metric tons and boasts a range of 900 nautical miles (1,667 km), making it a suitable solution for short-haul cargo operations and feeder services. Compared to the B737F and the Airbus A320F, it consumes 30% less fuel and the operating costs are 50% less, management claims.
Long-distance project
Recently, Natilus founder, Aleksey Matyushev announced a further development of the Kona model, called ‘Horizon’. Initially designed for passenger transportation, the blended wing aircraft will be able to fly 3,500 nautical miles (6,480 km), which would allow it to connect Montreal and Paris (5,535 km) nonstop at a cruising speed of 980 km/h. According to CEO Matyushev, the freighter version can accommodate 22,700 kg. This is a relatively meager payload, but thanks to its low drag, the operating costs are said to be 50% lower than those of conventional aircraft models – a figure that also applies to greenhouse gas emissions.
The shape of the Kona and Horizon versions changes the ratio of volume to weight. In the age of e-commerce, this is a decisive advantage as relatively light volume freight now predominates. The cargo holds of the aircraft are also designed for the loading and unloading of standard containers.
Ideal for voluminous shipments
“From a freight perspective, our design makes a lot of sense,” says Aleksey Matyushev “It has 50% more internal volume, which doubles the amount of revenue-generating cargo per flight. With conventional designs, you run out of volume before you can maximize the take-off weight of the aircraft.”
And he believes there is another important criterion in favor of building blended-wing aircraft: “As we look increasingly at SAF, many of us in the industry – not just the investors, but also the aircraft builders – are starting to see the writing on the wall that scaling SAF is incredibly difficult and won’t be cost-effective for a very long time,” Natilus CEO Matyushev recently told DVV media group member, Flight Global. “I think people are going back to the drawing board and asking, ‘What else can we do?’ The question goes back to hydrogen and then airframes.”
New era in air transportation on the horizon?
He believes that his Manta Ray-like aircraft could usher in a whole new era in air transportation based on hydrogen as a power source, due to its advantageous flight characteristics and comparatively low fuel consumption.
However, it is still unclear how Natilus intends to finance the construction of the passenger and cargo Horizon variants. Marketing experts expect this to cost several billion USD.
Over in Hamburg, aviation pioneers presented plans to build an e-powered blended wing-body aircraft of rather small size (4 m x 6.40 m), capable of covering distances of 300 km. Getwing-One is the name of this project. According to the start-up, a prototype will be presented by mid-2026. For safety reasons, the aircraft will be flown manually by a pilot in the initial phase, but will then be piloted remotely. According to the local newspaper, Hamburger Abendblatt, the company has already received an order to build a cargo version, although the customer wishes to remain anonymous for the time being. Management is currently looking for financial backers to realize its Getwing-One BWB vision.
